Mark Diaz
by PinballMachine
Summary: Mark Diaz thought he had the most boring life a person could have. But now he's in a car heading for Camp Half Blood. No one expects him to be great or famous, but this is his big break. He can do something meaningful. I suck at summaries.


For a life I expected to yield nothing of any significance, this has been so incredibly unreal.

I scribbled this quickly in a small notebook of mine and stuffed it into my backpack. The car ride had been been going smoothly, but both my...friend Basil and I were feeling anxious. I didn't really know this guy, but he seemed to understand the things that had begun to happen to me lately. Strange coincidences. Unusual creatures. I thought I was going insane or something.

"How are you doing back there, Mark?" Basil called back from the driver's seat.

"I'm all right."

"Good. We're almost there"

We passed a of grasslands and farms on our way across Long Island. Basil seemed like the kind of guy who would live someplace rural. He was laid-back and had a good sense of humor. It always made me wonder why he was always picked on at school. And why he would always talk to me, the class loser. It was never full conversations, just small talk. But when I started having problems, he was the first person I went to.

He introduced it slowly. Gave me a couple of mythology books to read and asked if anything looked familiar. Nothing did at first. I was starting to think people picked on him because he was crazy. But before long, I was able to recognize and name the things I glimpsed on a regular basis: Cyclopes, Sphinxes, and at one time a dragon. My eyes opened for the first time.

_This has been so incredibly unreal._

I smiled and watched the hills and trees go by. I was going somewhere I can be happy, I thought. If nothing else, happy.

Basil parked at the base of a hill. When I got out, I was hit with the pleasant smell of fruit and a slight breeze.

I turned towards Basil. "Is the weather always like this?"

He laughed, "Sure. Most of the time."

Sweet. I walked up the hill ahead of him and was first met with a large, light blue farmhouse. Farther out in the distance I could see strawberry fields. Basil said we had to go to the Big House first (I assumed that was the farmhouse), so we headed there first. On the front porch two middle-aged men were talking over a game of cards. One was in a wheelchair, and had a brown hair and a beard. The other was shorter, with black curly hair and probably the worst outfit I've ever seen on a person. A leopard-print Hawaiian shirt, purple jogging pants, black socks, and red shoes. The bearded guy looked up first and smiled in our direction. The other one just snorted. Basil walked up to the porch railing and started talking to the man in the wheelchair.

"Chiron. I've brought Mark."

The man, Chiron, nodded and peered over at me. "Ah, good. And he knows about all this?"

"Enough not to have a heart attack"

Chiron chuckled, "All right, Basil, you can go. I should talk with Mark now."

Basil strolled off and left me alone with these two guys. I was hoping Chiron would talk first, since he seemed to be sort of normal, but the other man spoke up. "Welcome to Camp-Half Blood," he said, in a voice that was anything but welcoming.

"Camp?" I echoed.

Chiron answered, "For demigods. Offspring of humans and gods."

This was news. I thought this place was for just people who "see too much", as Basil had told me.

"But I'm human. I have parents. Normal ones."

He raised and eyebrow. "Oh? And Basil told you this?"

"No, but he never said I was half-god. He just told be about monsters and Mist. Even _that_ was hard to digest."

The second man butted in. "Basil wasn't very thorough, then," he sighed. "I told him this would be an easy assignment to complete."

"Don't mind Mr. D, Mark," Chiron said. "You are a half-blood, and luckily your journey here did not involve deadly peril. Make yourself at home in cabin 11." He pointed in the direction of the strawberry fields.

He continued his card game with Mr. D, pretty much ending our conversation. I stood awkwardly there for a bit and then walked in the direction Chiron pointed.

I wasn't prepared for what I saw. Sure, the Greek-style buildings were expected. As were the occasional satyr and nymph. But this place was huge, and hundreds of kids, all wearing orange T-shirts, dotted the landscape. Hundreds of people like me. Demigods. My walking became faster and I headed toward a cluster of smaller buildings, the cabins.

* * *

Was that abrupt? Haha, okay, that was the end of the first chapter. I didn't want to dwell too much on who Chiron and Mr.D are, what is Camp Half-Blood, etc. I know that, as readers, you know all this stuff. So maybe once Mark settles in, it'll run smoother. I don't like starting stories with "Hi my name is ____..." so sorry if the first chapter doesn't give you a good idea who Mark and Basil are. Feedback is appreciated. Flaming... thanks but not thanks.


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